He’s always been considered one of the more athletic big men in the AFL, but it seems Todd Goldstein has taken his running game to another level.

While rucks can often be seen trailing at the back of the pack during pre-season training, Goldstein is the one setting the pace; with no better illustration than his victory in the first official testing of 2020, the Yo-Yo. 

The endurance fitness exercise, which sees players pushed to exhaustion with ever-increasing speeds, saw Goldstein and Shaun Atley claim bragging rights. 

“The young guys have been training for two weeks, so I think it’s important to show that we’re still doing the work, even if we’re not coming in on the same days,” Goldstein told North Media. 

The North number 22 is keen to back up his third-place finish in the Syd Barker Medal with another strong campaign.

The training track the best place to start. 

“It’s about getting that conditioning and touch in, and then trying to build that platform so when you come back from Chrissy in mid-January, you are ready to explode and attack,” Goldstein added. 

It’s been a memorable off-season for North’s number 22, married to Felicity in the break.